December Newsletter

December Newsletter

The winter holidays are just around the corner and we have been busy learning and practicing many of our skills. We have begun our lessons in Social Skills every morning and I am seeing a big improvement with our collaboration and dealing with conflict. I hope that these skills naturally follow us into our homeroom classes, on the playground, and into the future. May we all be the best we can be each day.

New in December

This month we are very pleased to welcome a teacher candidate from the University of Windsor, Miss Pierroz. Miss P. as we like to call her brings with her a lot of enthusiasm and background in special needs. She also is a wonderful singer and is incorporating music into our learning. This is a great way to assist a student with learning and memorization.

Congratulations to our November Character Counts winner for Caring: Lazar

Language

In the morning in Language we are continuing our Parts of Speech study. We will focus on adjectives and pronouns. You can assist your child by asking them to ue an adjective to describe and everyday item. We are working daily on our writing and editing skills. This month I am introducing Paragraph of the Week, or P.O.W. Each week the students will spend a small amount of time each day performing one of the steps necessary for constructing a proper paragraph. I will continue this for a few weeks so that students become accustomed to the steps. I will then begin to assign this task as a week long homework assignment.


In the afternoon the grade sixes have begun their second novel titled "Dear Mr. Henshaw". We are continuing our daily work in language and writing. Now that we have mastered producing proper letters an paragraphs we will begin to apply these skills into journal writing and narrative writing. 

The Importance of Daily Writing

By the time a student has been placed on an IEP or been placed in a SERR room they have experienced frustration, fatigue, failure, and hopelessness in the classroom. This is of o fault of any of their teachers but often stems from the child comparing their successes and struggles to other students and feeling that somehow they just do not measure up. It begins with reading, and sometimes basic math. A child's inability to grasp alphabet principles, phonics, and apply it to spelling and sight word mastery creates a sense of inadequacy, avoidance, and often helplessness. These fears can create further problems for the child when they are asked to write. Students often become overwhelmed by the process, the amount of mental energy or physical energy, and shutdown before they begin. It is so very important to assist a child in changing their impressions of writing. One way to do this is to encourage your child to write for pleasure everyday. Get them into the habit of expressing their thoughts in writing and their reluctance to write will shift to seing it as a positive experience. One way you can encourage your child to write daily is by giving them a special place to do so. Create a special writing place in your home. Purchase a special book for them to write in. Even a journal they choose at a Dollar store will work. I encourage everyone to make writing a priority and a journal or diary a surprise holiday gift.

Use this website to help if your child seems to be 'stuck' on finding a topic:

http://www.funenglishgames.com/writinggames/story.html

Math

This month we will be focusing on time, money, and 3D shapes. We have made great gains in multiplication. Continual practice in this area is necessary for retention. I will be sending homework home to reinforce these skills as I feel they are necessary and important for future success. You can assist your child at home by:

1. having your child count out different amounts of coins
2. practicing reading the time on an analogue clock
3. using multiplication flashcards focusing on 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 times tables.

The grade sixes and the afternoon grade 5s have also been focusing on money and time. The grade sixes have also been working towards mastering long division with 3 number dividends (ex. 432 divided by 4). You can support your child at home by having them practice multiplication drills, and long division, as well as the suggestions made above.

Websites to support your child's learning:


Math Trainer - multiplication -
     http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/math-trainer-multiply.html
                     - time -
     http://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/index.html
                     - geometry -
     http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/polygons.html
                     - 3D shapes -
     http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/solid-geometry.html